WELCOME FROM THE HEAD Welcome to Sutton Grammar School a state funded selective school situated in the centre of Sutton, with excellent transport links by bus and train. We take 135 boys each year into Year 7 and most will stay at the school for seven years. The boys get excellent results in academic exams but, just as important is that they leave the School confident, articulate young men. They have a balance of qualifications, skills and experiences that prepare them well for entry to leading universities and professional careers. Other students join the School in the sixth form. We plan to take about thirty extra students (boys or girls) into the sixth form starting in September 2017. We value breadth in studies; there is strong support for the arts and sport and for students maintaining a broad range of subjects throughout their time at the School, including in the sixth form where four subjects at A-level plus the pre-u in global perspectives is the normal load for each student. Extra-curricular activities are an important part of school life. There are lots of opportunities to take part in music, drama and sport and we have a large voluntary CCF. You can learn electronics in early release time and do STEM projects in years 10/11. Our students produce several high quality publications. We have enjoyed a lot of success in national competitions in science, technology and maths. One of the features that we believe contributes to the very positive ethos within the School is our small size. The staff know the boys well and pastoral care is given the proper priority to ensure that boys are stretched academically but are cared for as developing young men and their mental well-being is very important to us. Where it is needed there is expertise in supporting special needs. For academic students this is a great school friendly and busy with lots of opportunities for personal development. Virtually every one of our students is proud to be a member of this community. Come and join us! Gordon Ironside Headmaster
ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE Academic success is at the core of what we offer at Sutton Grammar. We pride ourselves on developing the abilities and skills of an already bright group of pupils in their time at school. The students achieve excellent results at both GCSE and A level and also make excellent progress. The School always ranks highly in national league tables on a range of measures and we constantly strive to improve the high quality academic provision we offer. The vast majority are successful at securing places at renowned universities with Oxbridge and Russell Group places dominating leavers destinations. All students study a strong core of subjects including all three sciences to GCSE along with Maths, English a Modern Foreign Language and a humanity along with other creative and performance options to ensure a balanced and broad curriculum. While traditional strengths have been in Maths, English and Science, the school prides itself on ensuring a high quality of teaching and excellent outcomes to suit the interests and abilities of all students while subjects as diverse as History and Drama also have a reputation for success at the highest level.
PROVIDING GUIDANCE Pastoral Care is extremely important. We believe that every pupil needs to feel that they are a valued and integral part of the school community and we make sure that they are well cared for and happy. Pupils are assigned a form on entry and initially will be taught in his form group with a designated tutor who will oversee their day to day needs and get to know them as individuals. The experienced Heads of Year lead these form tutors in looking after the welfare of the pupils and providing additional help and support when required. The School caters well for students with specific needs, working with parents and outside agencies to ensure that individuals receive close monitoring and the support that they need to enjoy their education and succeed.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE We want all of our students to emerge as confident young adults and this is enabled by the opportunities they are given to present themselves and their ideas. Notable success has been regularly achieved in Young Enterprise and the collaborative public facing nature of the tasks this involves have been embraced by the students. The annual trade fairs are another highlight of the year where students of all ages have the chance to create and market their goods. Students also run, write and edit their own weekly newspaper giving them a chance to develop their skills and contribute to the school community and a number of departments regularly publish high quality subject based magazines with articles from all year groups. The speech and drama lessons that can be taken culminate in the taking of LAMDA examinations giving students further chances to present to an audience and develop a range of skills in the process. Public speaking is also a traditional strength of the school and opportunities to take part in this are open to all with the very best students competing successfully in a range of competitions including the ESU and UNA.
DEVELOPING SPORTSMANSHIP With excellent sporting facilities both on site and at our playing fields in Cheam, sport plays a central role in the life of the school with an approach that manages to embrace both high participation and excellence. Regular football and cricket fixtures are held on weekly basis against a highly competitive range of schools while all students have a chance to represent the school at some level. Athletics, swimming and badminton are also popular competitive sports and the PE department aim to cater for as many sports as they can with an emphasis on enjoyment while promoting healthy and active lifestyles. House sporting competitions in a wide range of sports are hotly but fairly contested and form a large part of the outcome of the eventual winners of the House Shield. The aim at all times is to turn out capable but sportsmanlike students. Sutton Grammar provide Ballboys for Wimbledon every year enabling access to world class events. Some of our students have achieved notable success in national sports as diverse as martial arts and triathlon in recent years and we do our best to support them and applaud their success.
SHOWING LEADERSHIP A successful school is based upon the support of its students and their support is essential in both running the school and developing their leadership skills. Led by the Head Boy team, the senior prefects and prefects assist in the day to day running of the school and care for the student body. The School Council (Student Voice) provides an opportunity for the pupils to represent the feelings of their peers while sixth form students act as mentors for younger students who need support and encouragement. A range of clubs and societies are student led and Year 10 are offered a course in sports leadership which takes them out to lead PE teaching in local primary schools. The Combined Cadet Force provides further chances for students to lead by example in the weekly parades and frequent camps while self-directed development takes place through the popular Duke of Edinburgh s Award programme.
INSPIRING CREATIVITY Sutton Grammar has an established and deserved reputation for excellence within the performing and creative arts. Drama, Art and Music are all valued examination subjects at GCSE and A Level and do much to enhance the cultural experience of the students here. Enrichment activities in Drama and Music showcase the high standards expected of the hard work and talents of our students. The established Biennial Musical with Sutton High School is the best example of the Arts collaborating to produce work of a high standard with a cast, band and technical crew made up entirely of students. There are opportunities across the year for students to perform music as soloists and in a wide range of ensemble groups, from an a capella group to the massed ranks of the school orchestra. A Level drama performances and younger boys participation in the Shakespeare Schools Festival provide a chance for all students to perform in public and for all students to celebrate creative talent. Regular visits to see concerts, exhibitions and plays are an integral part of both learning and expanding creative horizons. With House competitions also running in all creative areas from Drama to Photography to Poetry the students creative needs are nurtured across the school.
PROVIDING INTELLECTUAL ENRICHMENT It is not just within the classroom that we provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skills. The enrichment programme caters for students of all abilities and interests. At the highest level our students have a reputation for delivering significant success in national Science and Technology competitions with teams and individuals regularly winning prizes for their projects. Intellectual pursuits such as Chess and other problem solving competitions enable younger students to put their knowledge into practice and the wide range of day trips and residential visits offered by the school enable the students to see their subjects being applied in the real world. These vary from Geography trips to Iceland through to a wide programme of lectures that we hope inspire the students. Students are also encouraged to follow their academic interests and relevant skills in a wide range of lunchtime clubs and societies. These range from taking part in the Bar Association Mock Trial programme through the Law Society to the ever popular board games club which develops social interaction and problem solving skills. Clubs are there to support the interests and passions of all students and opportunities are there for all.
NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS Young Enterprise regularly Company of the Year in Sutton and Merton Area. In 2016 Pinpoint were London Winners and National Runners-Up in this prestigious competition. Regional Big Bang Science Fairs run by the school in 2014/16/18. Finalist in TES Science School of Year 2017. Year 13 boy represented UK at the Intel Science Fair in Los Angeles (2017) and won 3rd prize from 1788 projects. Year 12 boy is UK Intermediate Scientist of the Year (2017) for his work on breast cancer therapies. Year 11 boy is UK Intermediate Engineer of the Year (2017) for Stackamals. Year 12 team UK Space Design Competiton winners (2016 and 2017) with boys in Florida for international final. Year 10 boy was one of 20 finalists worldwide in 2015 Google Prize and won the Scientific American Prize ($25,000) for his work on detection of early onset Alzheimer s. UK Computational Challenge multiple hall of famers every year. Four finalists in the last three years in the Apps for Good competition (45,000 entrants per year). Two Year 9 boys win Gold Medals and Prizes in the UK Intermediate Maths Olympiad (2017). Year 11 boy wins medal and prize in his category and in UK training team. Year 13 boy in physics and chemistry UK Olympiad training squads (2017). Another boy in UK physics team (2016). Students from the school in the National Youth Orchestra (trumpet), two in the National Children s Orchestra (trumpet and cor anglais). Year 8 boy sponsored by Royal Ballet at the White House School. Jazz orchestra perform at Streatham Jazz Club (2017). Large orchestra and choirs. LAMDA Awards include many distinctions in the medal classes each year for acting, speech and communication. High quality journals produced by students of history (Retrospect), biology (Life), geography (Latitude 51). School is an editorial hub for the Young Scientist Magazine. Sport - excellent sports ground (27 acres) - e.g. football: two teams per year group on Saturdays. 1st XI current borough champions. National champions and UK squad members in several sports. We have our own swimming pool. School provides ballboys for Wimbledon. CCF at school recently celebrated 100 years of existence with building a new memorial cairn for those who have served in the armed forces and died on active service from WW2 to present day. Chess - 5th in ECF National Team Challenge 2017. Teams in Divs 1,3,4 of Poulter League. The Wolfson Foundation funded an extra science lab in 2016. The J.R. Taylor Music Trust funded a new music room in 2015. OS Tony Trapp sponsors engineering scholarships and facilities 2017. Boys prepared well for university and working life e.g. 125 places confirmed at universities for Autumn 2016 including 14 at Oxford and Cambridge colleges. Similar offers in 2017.
Manor Lane, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4AS Tel 020 8642 3821 Fax 020 8661 4500 admissions@suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk